TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016 SPORTS

Golfer Villegas China to send 416 Pyeongchang unveils out of Olympics athletes to Rio two 2018 mascots SHANGHAI: TROON: Camilo Villegas of Colombia pulled out of the Olympics yesterday China will send 416 athletes to Rio de Janeiro SEOUL: A white tiger named ‘Soohorang’ and an Asian black bear called because he is trying to keep his job on the PGA Tour. Villegas had indicated for next month, its largest overseas delegation in Olympic his- ‘Bandabi’ were unveiled yesterday as the two mascots for the 2018 Winter the last two weeks that he wanted to be in Rio for golf’s return to the Olympics for tory, continuing its pursuit of medals that saw it take sec- Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang. “Soohorang and Bandabi will be the first time since 1904. While he considered the Zika virus - Villegas and his wife ond spot in the table behind the United States four years your good friends and promote the Pyeongchang Olympic Games to the are trying to start a family - his main concern was work. Having pulled out of the ago. The country will send 256 women and 160 men to whole world,” Lee hee-beom, president of the Games Barbasol Championship last week with a thumb injury, he is No. 146 in the FedEx compete in 26 sports, the government said during a cere- organising committee, told students during a Cup standings. Only the top 125 advance to the playoffs and keep full cards for mony unveiling the team in Beijing yesterday, state news ceremony at Hoeng Gye elementary school in the following season, and Villegas has only four tournaments left. He agency Xinhua reported. It fielded 396 athletes in the Pyeongchang. Soohorang’s name is derived is playing the RBC Canadian Open this week. “This is an incredibly London 2012 games. “This is the largest ever Olympic dele- from the Korean words for ‘protection’ (Sooho) difficult decision for me, but ultimately I have to do what’s gation China has sent overseas,” Cai Zhenhua, deputy direc- and ‘tiger’ (ho-rang-i). The white tiger is con- best for my career,” Villegas said. He is the 21st male golfer tor of China’s General Administration of Sport, was report- sidered a sacred guardian animal in South to withdraw from the Olympics, and he joins Brendon de ed by Xinhua as saying. He added that the delegation has Korea, with some locals considering the Jonge of Zimbabwe in citing his job security for pulling 711 members including 29 foreign coaches. Local fans were Korean peninsula to be tiger-shaped. The out. “Right now, I have not secured my PGA Tour card for next assured by the inclusion of popular Chinese swimmer Ning 1988 Seoul Olympics also featured a tiger season and I have several opportunities to improve my FedEx mascot. Paralympic Games mascot Cup standing, one of which overlaps with the Olympics,” he Zetao, the recent subject of rumours that he had been cut from the squad for taking on too many commercial “Bandabi” represents courage and strong said. “I have waited until the last minute to withdraw as I have willpower, organisers said. The Pyeongchang engagements. He is first Asian swimmer to win the 100 been working hard to secure my playing privileges so I can con- 2018 Olympic Winter Games will be held from metres freestyle at the world championships. — tinue to represent Colombia on the PGA Tour.”—AP Feb. 9-25. — Reuters

Kuwait defeat Malaysia 4-1 in Davis Cup

By Abdellatif Sharaa next day. On Sunday night, Kuwait’s Sulaiteen 6-2, 7-6 (8), though Al-Sulaiteen was made ready by the Public Authority for tee Abbas Al-Busairi and workers at KTF and Abdelrahman Al-Awadhi defeated gave strong showing, ending the round Sports in a record time. Yarmouk sports club. Al-Otaibi said chair- KUWAIT: Kuwait defeated Malaysia in four Malaysia’s Mohamamd bin Zain Al- with Kuwait winning 4-1. With this win Tournament Director Faleh Al-Otaibi man and board members will hold a special matches to one during the Davis Cup com- Aabideen by the score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, in the Kuwait remains in the second international thanked PAS for its obvious and major sup- ceremony to mark Kuwait’s win and ITF’s petition that was held in Kuwait over the match Al-Awadhi displayed his skills and group, while Malaysia drops to the third port of KTF activities, and pointed to its honoring of Kuwait’s tennis player past three days. marked his first win for Kuwait in the Davis group. The tournament was held under the efforts in making this event a success. Mohammad Al-Ghareeb who has been rep- Kuwait won the two singles matches on Cup competition. Kuwaiti flag under the supervision of the Al-Otaibi lauded the spirit of the players resenting Kuwait over the past 20 years. the first day, then ensured their win of this The final match saw Malaysia’s Hao Ching International Tennis Federation (ITF), at the and their outstanding efforts. He also Faleh Al-Otaibi thanked the players, round when it won the doubles match the Kuwai defeating Kuwait’s Hamid Al- main court of Yarmouk sports club, which thanked chairman of the technical commit- coaches and team captain Adel Al-Shatti. Cal’s Australia game is new move to take football Down Under LOS ANGELES: California coach Sonny lege games. Dykes has prepared for the travel chal- It is a far cry from how Porebski dis- lenges associated with a season-open- covered football. ing game in Sydney. “The first time I actually watched Dykes has spoken with NFL coaches American football it was on at like 2 who have taken their teams to London, o’clock in the morning on some weird prepared onboard exercises for players channel,” Porebski said. “It definitely and consulted Nike for compression has grown, though. Even had a few apparel they can wear during the flight mates who had Super Bowl parties when the Golden Bears depart the Bay over there. It is taking off, and I think in Area on Aug 20 and arrive down under four or five years, it will be really big.” on Aug 22. Porebski grew up playing Australian But for a real understanding of how rules football starting from 5 years old, taxing travel to and from Australia can but had to give it up due to shoulder be, Dykes could have just asked injuries. He then started working with Oregon State punter Nick Porebski. Prokick Australia, a program that has Hassan “When I first did it, I was jet-lagged for helped the winners of the last three Kameel about two days,” the Melbourne-born Ray Guy Awards as the top punter in Porebski said at Pac-12 media days. “It college football transition to the American game. “The rugby-style punt, that’s pretty much an Aussie-rules kick,” Porebski said. “The thing that we have to learn is the spiral with two steps and kick.” The Beavers found Porebski when he was at a junior college in Utah, but have since sent an assistant coach to Australia to recruit. “And it’s not just kickers,” Oregon Helyolido team State coach Gary Andersen said. “There’s some very talented young men over there. And there are some quality people over there that are help- Helyolido crowned champions ing these kids get better.” Stanford coach David Shaw has wel- CAIRO: Helyolido team was crowned champions of Shams and Nasr during the semifinals, as they Coach Hassan Kameel said there were 14 teams Sonny Dykes arrives comed Australian coaches to observe Cairo handball tournament in the juniors category defeated Al-Shams, which ended in second place divided into two groups and we reached the semi- practice. He believes the Pac-12 could after a draw with Al-Ahly. Helyolido defeated Al- by 16-14. Meanwhile Al-Ahly ended in third place. finals and were able to win the tournament. is a tough flight. You’re sitting there for play a major role in continuing foot- a long time. Your legs are going to get ball’s upward trajectory there. heavy.” “There are opportunities for other Porebski is one of a growing num- Pac-12 schools possibly,” Shaw said. ber of Australians to find success play- “We’ve heard a lot about how excited Russian skating star denies doping ing what his countrymen call American they are about this game and if we can : football, fueling growth in the sport help that in some way, shape or form Evgeni Plushenko, ’s two- Olympics next month and other interna- house of Russian parliament’s sports and back home. by our conference investing in a game time Olympic champion, tional sport after an investigation found the physical culture committee, said the investi- A Cal spokesman said approximate- like this, you never know where it angrily distanced himself from a damning FSB secret service helped a “state-dictated gation by Canadian law professor Richard ly 70,000 tickets have been sold for the could lead.” report yesterday that revealed rampant failsafe system” carried out by the Moscow McLaren for WADA was just more “uncon- Aug. 27 game against Hawaii at the Cal offensive tackle Steven Moore is Russian state-run doping at the 2014 sports ministry. firmed fantasy”. 83,500-capacity ANZ Stadium, the first thrilled for the chance to play outside Winter Games and other events. The 33-year-old Plushenko, who has “We’ve already heard all of that and noth- college football game to be played in the US, as he and the other Bears big “I, Evgeni Plushenko, declare that I’ve competed at four Olympics, accused Russia’s ing new has been said,” Svishchev told Australia since BYU defeated Colorado men could benefit from the lengthy never used any kind of doping, I’ve always rivals of attempting to besmirch the coun- Match! TV channel. He accused Grigory State in 1987. nature of the trip. Since Dykes puts the competed fairly,” TASS state news agency try, after its track and field team was already Rodchenkov, the former Moscow doping The eight-team professional starting offensive and defensive line- quoted him as saying. barred from Rio. laboratory director whose allegations National Gridiron League will begin men up front on team charter flights, “At Sochi I gave samples for testing twice “The Games in Sochi were the best in his- prompted the McLaren probe, of lying. “He’s playing its inaugural season in the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Moore is and there always was a man next to me who tory and everybody knows that,” he said. “I a person that cannot ever be trusted. He October. Rugby star Jarryd Hayne’s already thinking about a lie-flat seat in kept the procedure under control. And can say it with pride. “I suppose the coun- said one thing in Russia and completely dif- stint with the San Francisco 49ers last first class. “That would be cool,” Moore there has never been any additional medical tries competing with Russia, who launched ferent in the United States. “No one should season resulted in increased media said. “I definitely don’t want to be sit- interference, whatever anyone says.” this campaign, are just nursing a grievance believe him. Now we have just plenty of his interest, while ESPN’s Australia net- ting in a little chair all the way to The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and are burning with envy because of that.” fantasies and insinuations, but none of works regularly broadcast NFL and col- Australia.” —AP called for Russia to be banned from the Rio Dmitry Svishchev, who heads the lower them were backed up by facts.” —AFP